McNicholas High School senior running back Sean Byrne (3) covers up the ball as he clears the line of scrimmage on his way to a 36-yard touchdown run against Turpin High School Aug. 29. Mark D. Motz/The Community Press

McNicholas High School quarterback Luke Sulken (19) leads the Rockets onto the field to face neighbrhood rival Turpin High School in football season opener for both teams Aug. 29. Mark D. Motz/The Community Press

Jacob Hamilton of Glen Este gets a few extra yards after meeting Trevor McMullen of Amelia in the backfield. Amelia opened the season at home against long time rival, Glen Este. Brandon Severn for The Enquirer

Jacob Hamilton of Glen Este recovers his own fumble in the end zone, then looks to the referee to make sure it's a touchdown. Amelia opened the season at home against long time rival, Glen Este. Brandon Severn for The Enquirer

Two-time defending state champion Moeller used a touchdown pass and a scoring run from quarterback Matt Crable to seize control over Pickerington North, 21-6, in a Skyline Chili Crossdown Showdown match-up at Columbus Crew Stadium.

With 3:19 left in the first half, Crable hooked up with Chase Pankey for a 25-yard touchdown reception.

Moeller made it 14-0 with 6:46 left in the third quarter when Crable ran for a 14-yard touchdown.

The Crusaders then drove 91 yards on 13 plays to take a 21-0 lead, as Demetrius Yett scored on a 4-yard run with 9:40 remaining.

Elder shook off a sluggish first quarter and cruised to a 34-6 win over Oak Hills Friday night at Oak Hills in the first game between the neighborhood rivals since 2008.

The game was part of the 17th Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown. Play was halted for 75 minutes midway through the third quarter after lightning was spotted in the area.

Elder, ranked No. 4 in the Enquirer Division I preseason coaches' poll, turned a tenuous 13-0 halftime lead into a four-score advantage early in the second half and cruised to a 24th straight win in the series.

The Panthers are 27-5 all-time against Oak Hills. The Highlanders have not beaten Elder since an 18-0 final in 1986.

Junior tight end Brannen Martin capped the opening possession of the third quarter with his first career touchdown for Elder, a 9-yard reception from junior quarterback Peyton Ramsey in the front corner of the end zone.

Moments later, Elder senior defensive back Matt Peters followed with a 25-yard interception return for a touchdown and a 27-0 lead.

The lightning came on Oak Hills' ensuing possession and kept the teams off the field for more than an hour. Elder came out of the locker room 27 minutes after the initial lightning sighting, but referee sent the Panthers back.

Junior running back Ja'Vahri Portis, the game MVP for Elder, added a 1-yard touchdown run with 25 second to play in the third and much of the remainder of the game was played with running clock.

Senior receiver Jason Walters was the MVP for the Highlanders and had the only score for No. 9 Oak Hills, an 11-yard reception from sophomore quarterback Cooper Scholz.

The Highlanders had early chances as well, but came up empty on two red zone chances and could not capitalize on an interception made on an Elder red zone trip in the first half.

The Highlanders drove as far as the Elder 6 during the game-opening drive, but a high snap on a third-and-1 play foiled the momentum. Elder junior defensive end Spencer Kandra then blocked a 35-yard field goal attempt by sophomore kicker Kevin Rockwood with 5:30 to play in the opening quarter.

Two possessions later, senior defensive back Jake Forte intercepted Elder junior quarterback Peyton Ramsey at the Oak Hills 5 on fourth-and-6 one minute into the second quarter. But Highlanders sophomore quarterback Cooper Scholz lost a fumble at his own 30 and Elder responded with the game's first score.

Portis took it six yards around the left side for a 6-0 Elder lead with 8:21 play before halftime.

Oak Hills advanced to the red zone again, but turned the ball over on downs at the Elder 20. Several plays later, Ramsey went one yard around the left for a 13-0 lead with less than a minute before halftime.

McNicholas High School added to the growing list of firsts on its home field at Penn Station Stadium.

The Rockets opened the 2014 football season with a win in the first-ever Friday night varsity game played on the field.

Because the field has no lights, the game kicked of at 5:30 p.m. as part of the Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown.

"It's always good to go up 21-0," said McNick head coach Mike Orlando. "We had a little room to breathe at the end and we needed it."

McNick began the scoring early as senior running back Sean Byrne ran 36 yards off tackle and broke to the right sideline for a touchdown on the opening drive of the game. Byrne finished the game with 131 yards on 21 carries.

Rocket senior linebacker Will Kamphuas turned Turpin's second possession of the game into points for McNick with a 68-yard interception return for a score, sprung by a Nick Staderman block near midfield.

McNick jumped to a 21-0 lead on the second play of the the second quarter thanks to quarterback Luke Sulken's 14-yard keeper. Sophomore Cole Carmosino converted all three point-after kicks.

Turpin scored on Jeff Dedeker's 14-yard catch from Bennie Stoll with a minute to play in the first half.

"We across the board self destructed," said Rob Stoll, Turpin head coach. "It was pretty bad. Too many mistakes. I thought our defense stiffened up and had a pretty good second half, but that was about it."

M- Byrne 36 run (Carmosino kick)

M – Kamphuas 68 INT return (Carmosino kick)

M – Sulken 19 run (Carmosino kick)

T- Stoll 14 pass to Dedeker (Jackson kick)

Cincinnati Country Day 40,

Pendleton County 6

Ranked No. 2 in the Enquirer Division VI-VII coaches' poll, Cincinnati Country Day kept the ball on the ground all night for a season-opening win.

CCD racked up 315 rushing yards. Junior running back Darryn Jordan led the way with 122 yards off 12 carries and two scores. Fellow junior running back Nick Sam had 13 carries for 115 yards and one score.

The only pass attempt of the game was a 14-yard touchdown from senior quarterback Cam Alldred to sophomore receiver Myles Jackson. Alldred added 50 rushing yards and another score.

The CCD defense shut down Pendleton until the fourth quarter, giving up a late score. Senior linebacker Will Koustmer finished with 13 tackles.

C-Jordan 6 run (O'Brien kick)

C-Sam 15 run (kick fail)

C-Alldred 36 run (O'Brien kick)

C-Jackson 14 pass from Alldred (O'Brien kick)

C-Jordan 10 run (O'Brien kick)

C-Brooks 2 run (kick fail)

P-Haslip 12 pass from Stoll (run fail)

Records: CCD 1-0, PC 0-2.

Kings 21, Lebanon 14

Kings held visiting Lebanon scoreless through quarters, taking a 21-0 lead into the final quarter before holding off a late push.

Kings had a balanced attack on offense, led by quarterback Tyler Knecht who threw for 119 yards and rushed for 81 yards and two touchdowns.

Kings senior running back DeAndre Barnett had 175 yards rushing on 28 carries and a touchdown.

K-Knecht 1 run (Woeste kick)

K-Knecht 9 run (Wise kick)

K-Barnett 11 run (Wise kick)

L-Frankenburg 2 run (Haley kick)

L-Stotts 5 pass from Frankenburg (Haley kick)

Records: K 1-0, L 0-1.

Harrison 21, East Central 17

Trailing 17-14 in the fourth quarter, junior running back Alex Anderson caught a 17-yard pass from Jake Weber with 3:59 remaining to put the Wildcats ahead for good in a Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown game. East Central drove the ball inside the 10 yard ine, but was unable to convert on fourth down with 33 seconds remaining, allowing Harrison to run out the clock.

Weber, a senior quarterback, went 11-for-18 for 171 yards and three touchdowns. Anderson rushed for 41 yards on eight carries, and also recorded 49 yards on three catches, two of which went for touchdowns.

Junior wide receiver Mitchell Hogue had a big day on both sides of the ball for Harrison. Hogue had six catches for 113 yards and a touchdown, while also recording a game-high 9 ½ tackles as defensive back.

H-Anderson 15 pass from Weber (Alvarez kick)

E-Patton 2 run (Stidham kick)

H-Hogue 24 pass from Weber (Alvarez kick)

E-Stidham 24 FG

E-Patton 9 run (Stidham kick)

H-Anderson 17 pass from Weber (Alvarez kick)

Records: E 0-2, H 1-0.

Sycamore 28, Walnut Hills 20

In a Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown game at Walnut Hills High School, the host Eagles were hoping to avenge last year's opening defeat to Sycamore 41-7.

After a long pass from sophomore quarterback Jake Borman to senior Nick Gehrlich, Sycamore sophomore Ra'Von Bonner scored from three yards out to give the Aves a 7-0 first quarter lead.

In the second quarter. Walnut tied it on a 10-yard pass from senior quarterback Kevin Blount to senior Reid Finley with 8: 26 to go before half. Two minutes later, Sycamore junior Clarence Dawson found pay turf from 30 yards out for a 14-7 Aves lead.

Just before the half Blount and junior A.J. Fletcher hooked up, but the two-point conversion was missed and Walnut trailed 14-13. The Aves then hit a pass to the one-yard-line, but time expired.

After a lengthy lightening delay, play resumed at 10:10 p.m. and shortly after Borman hit Ryan Wahler to put Sycamore up 21-13 with 4:28 in the third quarter.

"I was proud of the way the kids came out after the break," Sycamore coach Scott Dattilo said. "The kids responded and did a really nice job in the second half."

The Aves seemingly iced the game with Clarence Dawson scoring late in the fourth quarter, but Walnut and Kevin Blount found the endzone again from two-yards out with :11 to go.

Senior running back Tyler Hannah had 18 carries for 107 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Silver Knights to the season-opening win. Hannah scored a touchdown with six minutes remaining to seal the victory.

Sophomore quarterback Duke Tobin was 8-for-14 for 102 yards and a touchdown. Tobin's pass was to senior wide receiver CJ Suggs, who caught two passes for 40 yards.

Defensively, Summit Country Day was led by Maverick Phurston and Andrew Dismeyer, who combined for 20.5 tackles. Paint Valley cut it to seven points late, but was unsuccessful on their onside kick attempt, and the Silver Knights were able to run out the clock.

S-Waltz 35 FG

P-Hatfield 36 run

S-Suggs 27 pass from Tobin (Waltz kick)

S-Hannah 41 run (Waltz kick)

P-FG 25

S-Hannah 5 run (Waltz kick)

P-Johnson 1 run

Records: S 1-0, P 0-1.

Talawanda 34, Middletown Madison 9

For the second consecutive year Talawanda started its football season with a win, beating visiting Middletown Madison 34-9 Friday night.

The Braves rushed for 201 yards on 31 attempts. Leading that charge on the ground was senior running back Maurice Thomas, who finished with 174 yards on 17 carries and three touchdowns.

Talawanda's Mason Kuhn had two catches for 55 yards and a touchdown.

T-Thomas 65 run (Kuhn rush)

T-Kuhn 55 pass from Scott (kick failed)

T-Johnson 38 fumble recovery (kick failed)

T-Thomas 2 run (Engelhard kick)

T-Thomas 8 run (Engelhard kick)

M-Melton 5 run (rush failed)

M-French 20 FG

Records: T 1-0, M 0-1

Ross 41, Goshen 0

Ross senior running back John Kinkaid had 113 yards on nine carries with two touchdowns.

Junior running back Cole Hannon had 101 yards rushing on five carries with a 77-yard rushing touchdown and an 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

Junior quarterback Dustin Foley finished with 64 yards rushing on six carries with two touchdowns while also going 5 of 8 for 46 yards passing. The Rams finished with 363 yards of total offense.

R-Hannon 88 kickoff return (Young kick)

R-Hannon 77 run (Young kick)

R-Kinkaid 21 run (kick failed)

R-Kinkaid 24 run (Young kick)

R-Foley 34 run (Young kick)

R-Foley 4 run (Young kick)

Records: R 1-0, G 0-1

Taylor 9, Lawrenceburg 3

Hunter Gillespie ran 67 yards for the game-winning touchdown in the third quarter to lead Taylor to the Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown victory.

The score was tied 3-3 at halftime, but Gillespie's third-quarter scamper was enough to seal the win.

The Murray brothers, Roman and Ethan, combined to intercept three passes to help Taylor hold Lawrenceburg scoreless after halftime.

T-Wood 25 FG

L-Hahf 22 FG

T-Gillespie 67 run

Records: T 1-0, L 0-1

Wyoming 33, North College Hill 0

Andrew Marty finished 12-for-14 for 231 yards passing and three touchdowns on Friday night, leading Wyoming to the lightning-shortened victory. All three of the touchdowns were thrown to Oliver Reinecke, who finished with four receptions for 114 yards.

Wyoming out-gained North College Hill by a count of 286-73, before the game was canceled due to lightning midway through the third quarter.

Wyoming hosts Taft next Friday night.

W-Shields 1 run (kick failed)

W-Reinecke 23 pass from Marty (Gressel kick)

W-Reinecke 10 pass from Marty (Gressel)

W-Shields 8 run (conversion failed)

W-Reinecke 76 pass from Marty ( Gressel kick)

Records: W 1-0, N 0-1

Badin 42, Woodward 6

Badin jumped out to a 28-0 first quarter lead and held on for the 42-6 win - after the game was canceled due to lightning just after halftime.

Records: B 1-0, W 0-1

Milford 34, Hamilton 13

Milford senior running back Jack Young had 24 carries for 92 yards and three touchdowns, while senior quarterback Drew Ashcraft was 8-for-11 with 119 yards and one touchdown and senior running back David DiSilvestro had a 9-yard rushing touchdown. Senior defensive back Alex Sowder led the way on defense for Milford with 11 tackles, while junior defesnive back Alex Shiplett had two interceptions.

Hamilton junior quarterback Steve Cunningham had an 11-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Eric Jackson, while senior kicker Jarod Morrison had two field goals.

Milford improves to 1-0, while Hamilton falls to 0-1.

M-Young 7 run (kick failed)

H-Morrison 22 FG

M-DiSilvestro 9 run (run failed)

H-Morrison 21 FG

M-Greenwell 19 pass from Ashcraft (Greenwell pass from Ashcraft)

M-Young 14 run (Stropes kick)

H-Jackson 11 pass from Cunningham (Morrison kick)

M-Young 5 run (Johnson kick)

Records: M 1-0, H 0-1.

Clermont Northeastern 19, Fayetteville 7

Clermont Northeastern junior running back Dalton Miracle had 176 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, while senior Trey Amann had eight carries for 38 yards and four receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore quarterback Shawn Lykins rushed 13 times for 35 yards and was 6-for-14 passing for 81 yards and one touchdown.

The Rockets improve to 1-0, while Fayetteville-Perry falls to 0-1.

C-Miracle 36 run (run failed)

C-Amann 50 pass from Lykins (run failed)

C-Lykins 2 run (Todd kick)

Records: C 1-0, F 0-1.

Valley View 50, Roger Bacon 49

Jordan Williams hauled in a one-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Slayton Brummett with 1:33 left in the game to bring Roger Bacon within one point. After a timeout, Roger Bacon decided to go for the win but fell one yard short as Brummett sneaked it up the middle.